Our late-night comedians are ba-ack! The other side’s 24/7, um, well let’s stick to comedians, never left. You know you are in trouble when the best comedy show around is you on C-SPAN1. But now the House is out of session until Wednesday next week while the various factions try to come up with a viable candidate for Speaker of the House. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries turns out to be far more plausible than, say, Steve Scalise or (perish forbid) “Gym” Jordan or the BLOAT himself (pushed by Alex Jones and MTG, among others). Others mentioned are Kevin Hern, Chair of the Republican Study Committee; Tom Emmer, Majority Whip; Elise Stefanik, Conference Chair, and Tom Cole, Rules Committee Chair.
Hell must’ve frozen over. I agree with Kilmeade.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade:
Democrats will win in 2024 because of Republican dysfunction:
Democrats have a strong case, when they go to swing districts and say,
You saw the chaos in the Republican House.
You’ve gotta put a Democrat in charge, give Hakeem Jeffries the gavel.
I recognize that not everyone can sit and chortle at hours and hours of bloviation and bogosity, so let’s start with a palate cleanser before we get to today’s tasty stuff. You mostly hear only the first part of this, which is a shame.
The Comedians ~ Kabalevsky
Regular Good News for Us
“Care and diligence bring luck.” – Thomas Fuller
Make that caring, amirite?
Do you have your popcorn ready?
Pöpcørn | Recipes with The Swedish Chef | The Muppets
We made lots.
Future Crunch: Good News on Net Zero, Maternal Health in South East Asia, and Rhinos in Africa
Plus, a game-changing treatment for cystic fibrosis, eco-concrete, white hydrogen, a victory for indigenous rights in Brazil, and cycling in the United States
Saving the world is cheaper than ruining it
Connecticut passes new gun control law: A step towards safety
Connecticut, known for its strict gun control laws, enacted one of the most stringent firearm rules since the 2013 law authorized in the aftermath of the devastating Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Despite court challenges around the country, the new law, signed by Democratic Governor Ned Lamont in June, has taken effect, ushering in harsher limitations on gun ownership in the state. In this post, we’ll go through the specifics of Connecticut’s new gun control legislation, as well as the current court fights and the potential influence on other states.
In response to high demand Oregon boosts legal psilocybin access
Epic Healing Eugene is now the epicenter of Oregon’s blossoming psilocybin movement, thanks to its captivating environment and dedicated facilitators. Epic Healing Eugene, which opened this June, is America’s first licensed psilocybin service center. It is open to individuals over the age of 21 and requires no prescription or referral. The center has a long waitlist of more than 3,000 people.
Oregon’s audacious approach toward psilocybin legalization reflects a bigger trend in the United States. In 2020, Colorado voters approved a measure to regulate the use of magic mushrooms, set to take effect in 2024. Similarly, California’s legislature has approved the possession and use of certain plant- and mushroom-based psychedelics, such as psilocybin and mescaline, with intentions to develop therapeutic guidelines.
The Oregon Psilocybin Services Section has received “hundreds of thousands of inquiries from all over the world,” showing a growing global interest in psychedelic research. Researchers are becoming increasingly confident that psilocybin may reconfigure the brain, allowing users to adopt new perspectives and solve mental health issues.
Regular Bad News for Them
Marx Bros. Horse Feathers - "Whatever it is, I'm against it!" | High-Def Digest
Speaker
Politico: The House GOP is a Failed State
Kevin McCarthy’s ouster is dramatic evidence, if redundant, about the state of the modern GOP.
The main consolation is that he has plenty of company. For a quarter-century, every Republican to ascend to the speakership has descended from it with his standing diminished. It’s a line that travels from Newt Gingrich to Dennis Hastert to John Boehner to Paul Ryan to McCarthy.
McCarthy is out as Speaker of the House, so now the House is shut down for a week while the Desperation Caucus tries to come up with a candidate for a new election.
Helping them go over the cliff, you mean?
Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry became the new Speaker pro tempore immediately after McCarthy was voted out of the Speakership.
Axios: Interim GOP speaker orders Pelosi and Hoyer out of Capitol offices
Bloviator-in-Chief
More Trials for the BLOAT
One gag order; maybe two gag orders—Ah ha ha ha ha!
Giuliani
I’ll just leave these here. Giuliani’s drinking on duty will affect Trump’s “advice of counsel” defense.
NYT [paywalled]: Giuliani’s Drinking, Long a Fraught Subject, Has Trump Prosecutors’ Attention
The former mayor’s drinking has become an investigative subplot in Donald Trump’s federal case over 2020 election interference. But long before that, friends had grown deeply concerned.
Forbes: Giuliani’s Alleged Election Night Drinking Could Hurt Trump’s Defense Against Federal Charges, Report Says
Politico: Giuliani: ‘I have never had an alcohol problem’
Rolling Stone: Jack Smith’s Team Grilled Witnesses About Rudy Giuliani’s Drinking
Some months ago, we heard
The Guardian: Rudy Giuliani sued by former associate alleging sexual assault and harassment
Claim also alleges ex-mayor said he was ‘selling pardons for $2m, which he and Trump would split’
The boys have all of their numbers, don’t they?
Grateful Dead - Loser (Philadelphia, PA 7/7/89) (Official Live Video)
Science! Animals! Weirdness!
This is the weirdest thing I know, other than the question why there is anything at all rather than nothing.
Stephen Hawking Sings Monty Python… Galaxy Song (Music Video)
Holly Tree Presumed Extinct for 200 Years Discovered After Placement on Most Wanted List: ‘Nature surprises us’
This incredible return to light is part of a worldwide conservation project to identify species that haven’t been seen in tens or hundreds of years. So far, the hunt is going very well, with 9 of the 25 Most Wanted Lost Species actually being found alive.
Ilex sapiiformis also known as the Pernambuco holly, was found in the city of Igarassu, in the Brazilian state that the tree takes its name from. 4 individuals were identified.
The tree, which can reach between 26 and 40 feet in height (8-to-12 meters) was identified by its tiny green flowers after botanists that made up the search team spent hours poring over museum specimens.
Oklahoma Zoo Forecasts ‘Cloudy with a chance of cute’ After Rare Clouded Leopard Kitten Born
Good News Network: Researchers Invent Way to Turn Harmful Mine Waste into Healthy Soil
Their data allowed the scientists to successfully recolonize mine tailings with soil microbes after the tailings had been amended with plant mulch. These soil microbes consume certain residual organics and minerals, aggregating them into what are referred to as soil particles.
“You have microbially active surfaces in soil crumbs that develop a porosity in compacted tailings that allows the gas, water, roots, and microbes to survive, just like in arable soil,” said Huang. “Therefore, the dead mineral matrix of tailings becomes a soil-like media that will enable plants to grow.”
Huang noted that this process—which can occur in as little as 12 months—can also be used to restore soils damaged by over-farming, overuse of fertilizers, and climate change.
Two Critically Endangered Baby Condors Born in National Park Are Healthy, ‘Adorable Fluffballs’
GNN: Natural Defenses in Plants May Be Successful in Humans Against Neurodegenerative Diseases: New Study
In it, the researchers demonstrate that transporting a protein called SPP found in the plant cells responsible for photosynthesis into cultured human and animal cells brought about a reduction in protein clumping and symptoms of Huntington’s—the primary objective of the study.
Thousands of Dolphins Form ‘Mega Pod’ in California’s Monterey Bay – WATCH
CAUGHT ON CAMERA! Thousands of dolphins in megapod swim through California's Monterey Bay
GNN: Get Ready for the Solar Eclipse When Moon and Sun Form Perfect Line With Earth in a ‘Ring of Fire’
The annular solar eclipse will occur on October 14th, 2023 from 15:03 UTC to 20:55 UTC. The maximum of the eclipse will occur at 17:59 UTC. The so-called “path of totality” where Earthlings will be able to see the eclipse straight on, will pass through South and Central America, before moving westward up through Texas, Nevada, California, and Oregon, though the eclipse can still be seen in the thousands of miles east and west of that line.
In fact, all of the continental United States will have at least some visibility of the eclipse. Unfortunately for Europeans, this eclipse will be beyond them all.
As Valerie from Space Tourism Guide explains, the October calendar is also crammed with opportunities to spot shooting stars.
This is because several meteor showers will reach their peak during the month, starting with the Cameleopardalids on October 5th featuring roughly 5 meteors per hour, and proceeding to the Draconids on October 9th, a shower which can produce anywhere from 2 to 600 per hour, the Southern Taurids on October 10th, the ε-Geminids on October 18th with about 3 per hour, the Orionids on October 21st with about 21 per hour, and ending with the Leonis Minorids on October 24th.
The author of this Xeet omitted the article link. Here is the paper at arXiv.
Jupiter Mass Binary Objects in the Trapezium Cluster
Funny or Fuggedaboudit
The writer’s strike is over! Late night comedy is back! But the actors are still out, and the UAW, and staff at Kaiser-Permanente has just started one of their own.
Chris Hayes Dissects Matt Gaetz's Resolution to Remove Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker
Ad: Cartoon Corner First Thursday, by ynohtnA
He May Be a Criminal, But He's OUR Criminal — The Week in Editorial Cartoons, Part 1 (Update x 6)
Kevin McCarthy: "Free at Last, Free at Last..." — The Week in Editorial Cartoons, Part 2 (Update #5)
Political Cartoons by Arthur "Art" Young
Here are Daily Kos' most-read stories in September, by kos
Cartoons do incredibly well for us, which makes me happy. Back in the day, my favorite part of any alt weekly was the cartoons page, catching up with Tom Tomorrow, Tom the Dancing Bug, and so many of the cartoons that we now feature on Daily Kos. And as someone who would devour newspapers as a child, editorial cartoonists like Mike Luckovich were a daily staple of my media-consumption diet. I’m so happy you guys appreciate the cartoonists as much as I do.
Links to all DK comics in the past week
Too many to include here, and besides, not all of them are funny. But we’ll take a look, as always.
Fine, but where are the blind paskudnyaks?
From Quora:
Former Artist, Writer, Imagineer
What makes you think Dems care about all of this mess? If anything, the in-fighting is fabulous to those of us who have figured out where this is going.
Because once they appoint a moron like Jim Jordan or Steve Scalise, we get to let the American public see just how sick this party has gotten. Some of us welcome that with the Republicans fighting for candidacy as well and their key “performer” going down the tubes and possibly to prison.
OK, Weird, we’re ready for you to play us out.
Dare To Be Stupid (live) - "Weird Al" Yankovic
